Los Angeles to Qingdao shipping route.

Ships leaving Los Angeles for Qingdao head north west and cover a sea distance of 5,761 nautical miles (10,670 km), on a direct course. The straight line between the ports is 10,153 km; coastlines and shipping lanes add the rest. No canals or major straits on this leg, the ship stays close to the direct line.

Shipping time depends on speed. At 14 knots, a common container ship service speed, the passage takes 17.2 days at sea. Slow steaming at 12 knots stretches it to 20.0 days, while 18 knots brings it down to 13.3. Liner schedules on the lane quote 15 to 30 days port to port, because the services call at other ports and some transship. Over the last 30 days we counted 103 sailings by 11 carriers (CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, HMM and Hapag-Lloyd).

683 nm of the route, 12% of it, lies inside North American ECA. In an emission control area ships must burn fuel with no more than 0.1% sulphur or clean the exhaust with scrubbers. That fuel costs more, and carriers add it to the ocean freight bill as a low sulphur or ECA surcharge.

Recent freight rates for USLAX to CNTAO start at $4,611 for a 20GP and $6,548 for a 40GP. These are spot market prices from carriers that sail the lane; your quote will also include terminal handling, documentation and any bunker surcharge. At Qingdao (CNTAO) carriers give about 6 free days before demurrage and detention charges start, so plan the truck or rail pickup before the box lands.

Of the 65 port to port routes from Los Angeles in this directory, Qingdao is the 17th shortest. Closer destinations include Shanghai (5,749 nm), Incheon (5,716 nm) and Busan (5,280 nm).